Queensland Garden Show celebrates the rise of edible balconies, indoor jungles and low-maintenance gardens as younger Australians reinvent gardening for modern life
The iconic Australian backyard may be shrinking, but a new generation of Australians is proving you don’t need a quarter-acre block to become a gardener.
With rising living costs, smaller homes and changing lifestyles reshaping the way Australians live, younger generations are increasingly turning balconies, courtyards, indoor plants and micro food gardens into thriving green spaces of their own – and many are doing it with plants their grandparents would never have heard of.
Ahead of this year’s Queensland Garden Show from 10 to 12 July, Chief Executive Officer of Greenlife Industry QLD Colin Fruk said the traditional idea of gardening was undergoing a major shift.
“Australian homes are increasingly being built on smaller blocks, with Australian Bureau of Statistics data showing average lot sizes in Greater Brisbane shrank by 20 per cent between 2012 and 2021[1], a trend that appears to be continuing as demand for housing surges,” Mr Fruk said.
“But while backyards may be getting smaller, Australians’ connection to gardening and plants certainly isn’t. Younger Australians are embracing indoor plants, vertical gardens, edible gardening and smaller, more manageable green spaces that better suit modern lifestyles and higher-density living. We’re also seeing growing interest in unusual and statement plants, with many younger gardeners treating their homes and balconies as an extension of their personal style.
“Gardening today is as much about wellbeing, creativity and sustainability as it is about plants, and Australians are proving you can create your own green sanctuary almost anywhere.”
Recent research from The Australian Institute[2] found almost four in five Australians aged 18 to 39 are interested in growing their own food, despite many identifying limited space as the biggest barrier. The research also found 45 per cent of Australians already grow some of their own food, with small urban spaces increasingly being transformed into productive gardens.
Alexander Marques from the family-owned Rumbalara Nursery in Glass House Mountains, who will attend this year’s Queensland Garden Show as an exhibitor, said cost-of-living pressures and the faster pace of life were changing the way Australians viewed their gardens and outdoor spaces.
“From a very early age, I spent my time playing in muddy fields, working on the family farm in Glass House Mountains, and selling strawberry and other seedling plants at the Caboolture and Yandina markets on the weekends to people who had bigger gardens and more time to maintain them,” Mr Marques said.
“Mowing the lawn and tending your quarter-acre garden was how most people spent their weekends ‒ after all, having a home with a nice big garden was the Australian dream. But these days, life is much busier and as the cost of living continues to escalate, young people are opting for smaller gardens that are more manageable, and often also far more curated and productive.
“We’ve seen a noticeable shift towards edible gardening, low-maintenance spaces and ornamental plants that bring colour and personality into smaller homes and apartments. They’re often inspired by what they see on social media and love sharing their own results too.
“The biggest demand we see right now is for productive plants – vegetable seedlings, potted fruit and veggie, culinary and therapeutic herbs, edible flowers, mini vegetables – all allowing individuals to be the masters of their own food security and personal health journey in much smaller spaces. Plant selection and breeding, together with inventive container design, are helping people make smaller spaces highly productive.”
Mr Fruk said Greenlife’s recent Industry Snapshot 2024-25 reinforced what growers and retail nurseries across the country were already experiencing firsthand.
“The broader greenlife industry now injects around $3.49 billion into the Australian economy, producing more than 2.1 billion plants annually and supporting more than 22,000 jobs,” Mr Fruk said.
“The upcoming Queensland Garden Show provides a fantastic opportunity to showcase the strength and diversity of our industry, with 55 wholesale and retail nurseries sharing their expertise and offering visitors access to more than 60,000 plants a day – including everything from seedlings and productive fruit trees to rare collector plants, exotic ornamentals and native favourites – as well as a fully planted kitchen garden for inspiration.
“The Show also features Australia’s largest gardening speaker program, including favourites like ABC Gardening Australia’s Sophie Thomson and Jerry Coleby-Williams, acclaimed horticulturist Graham Ross AM, and several new speakers attending the event for the first time. We look forward to sharing our full program in the coming weeks, with a few surprises in store too!”
The program will also include hands-on workshops and cooking demonstrations by some of the region’s most impressive chefs, alongside the event’s more than 360 exhibitors showcasing everything people need to create their ideal green space ‒ from seedlings, tools and garden art through to water features, outdoor products and ride-on equipment.
Designed to appeal to everyone from first-time plant owners and apartment gardeners through to serious collectors and seasoned green thumbs, the three-day event also offers free entry for children aged 15 and under and a range of activities aimed at inspiring the next generation of gardeners.
The 2026 Queensland Garden Show will be held from 10 to 12 July at the Nambour Showgrounds on Coronation Avenue, Nambour, with gates open daily from 8am to 4pm.
For more information and to purchase tickets online, visit www.qldgardenshow.com.au.
[1] https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/new-houses-being-built-smaller-blocks?utm_source=chatgpt.com
[2] https://australiainstitute.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Grow-your-own-2024-Web.pdf
